Heaven Dou City.
No one could quite remember when the overcast weather had begun.
The occasional low rumble of thunder signaled that heavy rain was about to fall, washing away all the filth clinging to everything.
Pedestrians on the streets were unusually scarce, and far fewer shops than usual were willing to open their doors, as if foreshadowing the arrival of a storm.
The atmosphere inside Heaven Dou City felt somewhat oppressive, with a trace of chilling sharpness added to the air. The armor and weapons of the patrolling soldiers marching in formation glinted coldly, and their somewhat disorderly footsteps echoed far into the distance.
Several luxurious and grandly decorated carriages slowly entered through the city gates, their massive wheels rolling over the ground with crisp ringing sounds.
Ning Fengzhi slowly lifted a corner of the curtain and glanced at the gloomy sky outside, then let out a soft sigh.
Surprisingly, the one accompanying Ning Fengzhi this time was Bone Douluo, not Sword Douluo, who usually traveled with him.
Upon closer inspection, Ning Fengzhi's face, which had previously shown no trace of age, now bore a sickly pallor brought on by anxiety and exhaustion.
After a long silence, Bone Douluo, sitting to the side with his arms crossed, let out a low sigh and spoke:
"Fengzhi, stop being so silent. Our current situation isn't actually that bad, is it…"
Ning Fengzhi gave a soft laugh, then rubbed his brow with one hand and said:
"I don't even know what His Majesty is summoning us to the palace for this time. Could it be that after completely losing hope in Heaven Dou's side with Heaven Water Academy, he's now turning his attention to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan…"
Bone Douluo, however, fell into a rare silence, uncharacteristic of his fiery temper. After remaining quiet for a while, he finally said softly:
"Fengzhi, I think we may have been wrong from the very beginning. We've been too focused on an uncertain future and ended up narrowing the path beneath our own feet…"
Ning Fengzhi gripped his cane tightly, then abruptly released the strength. The gloomy weather outside seemed to mirror his mood, leaving one feeling indescribably lost and afraid.
After another moment of silence, Ning Fengzhi suddenly seemed to remember something and asked in a low voice:
"Uncle Bone, how is Rongrong doing over there?"
Bone Douluo glanced at Ning Fengzhi and replied softly:
"Everything is fine. According to the messenger who returned, Rongrong is getting along very well with her new companions. It's just that her food, clothing, housing, and daily necessities are too poor, and the cultivation resources are lacking. But judging from Rongrong's appearance, she seems to have gotten used to it…"
Ning Fengzhi gave a low acknowledgment, then said:
"Send another five hundred thousand gold soul coins to Rongrong…"
"Shrek Academy… heh… seven geniuses… Unmoving Bright King… Golden Iron Triangle…"
Bone Douluo nodded lightly, then turned his gaze to the window as well and said softly:
"I'll arrange for someone to handle it later…"
…
Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Emperor Xue Ye sat high upon the throne, his face aged, but his eyes still sharp. After reading the statement from Heaven Water Academy, he fell silent for a moment, let out a soft sigh, and then tossed the statement along with all the messy documents on the table into a pile. He called his attendants over in a low voice, whispered a few words, and then closed his eyes.
The attendants exchanged a glance, quickly stepped forward to gather all the documents, and burned them all as if they were waste paper…
Qian Renxue (as Xue Qinghe), who had just entered the imperial study, frowned slightly. She waved her hand to dismiss them. The attendants bowed respectfully and quickly left the imperial study, leaving only Xue Qinghe and Emperor Xue Ye alone.
A trace of hidden endurance flickered deep in Xue Qinghe's eyes. She respectfully bowed and said:
"Father Emperor… your son has arrived…"
Emperor Xue Ye slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the young man before him, who bore some resemblance to his own younger self, he showed a faint smile and said softly:
"Qinghe, you're here…"
Qian Renxue nodded and said softly:
"Father Emperor, Heaven Water Academy sent something over, along with a personal handwritten letter from their dean…"
As she spoke, Qian Renxue took out an antique sandalwood box and a letter from her soul guide device and slowly placed them in front of Emperor Xue Ye.
Emperor Xue Ye slowly straightened his posture, finally opened the wooden box, and his expression first froze, then turned into a wry smile.
Qian Renxue glanced over, and a flash of surprise passed through her eyes as well.
Emperor Xue Ye closed the wooden box, then opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, and began reading it by the lamplight.
A moment later, Emperor Xue Ye seemed to age considerably in an instant. He slumped back into his chair and handed the letter paper to Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue took it, skimmed it roughly, and nearly burst into laughter inside, but on the surface, she remained expressionless, simply setting the letter paper down slowly.
Emperor Xue Ye pushed the wooden box across the table and said:
"Qinghe, according to Shui Ningbing, this soul bone comes from an ice-snow swan of around thirty thousand years of cultivation. It matches quite well with our imperial family's swan martial soul. You… take it and absorb it."
"But Heaven Water Academy truly is decisive; they cut ties so cleanly…"
Qian Renxue did not refuse. After a few modest refusals, she accepted the soul bone.
Emperor Xue Ye looked at his "eldest son" before him, sighed softly, and said:
"The attitudes of Heaven Water Academy and Elemental City are extremely firm now, just like when their ancestors first chose to join the empire. The corruption and decline of the empire have been laid bare on the table. Now, I don't have much time left. The heavy burden of reviving the empire will eventually fall on your shoulders…"
"Their attitudes are actually our fault, mine and that of several previous generations. We paid too little attention and support to the various elemental academies. Especially in the last hundred years, aside from necessary events, we've basically cut contact with Elemental City. The friendship between the imperial family and them has long since mostly vanished into the river of history. Now that we want to make amends, we've discovered it's already hopeless…"
Deep in Qian Renxue's eyes flashed a trace of "serves you right" and delight, but on the surface, she wore an expression of concern and said:
"Father Emperor, why say such things? With Poison Douluo and the imperial physicians treating you, your health will surely recover slowly…"
Emperor Xue Ye gave a bitter smile and said:
"The bond between Dugu Bo and Xue Xing has already faded. A life-saving favor isn't enough to make a Titled Douluo forever favor our side, especially after all these years, when Dugu Bo has done plenty of shady things for us. His separation from the imperial family is only a matter of time. We should prepare an escape route early as well…"
Qian Renxue respectfully agreed on the surface, but inwardly, she nearly burst into joy. The current predicament facing the Heaven Dou Empire was simply an enormous boon to her plan to usurp the throne.
…
Thunder roared, and finally a torrential downpour began to fall…
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master 40 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
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